Listen, then, to the wondrous movements of the heavens and the sacred cycle of Soma, as described in the scriptures. During the waning phase of the moon, the gods partake of the divine Soma, that celestial nectar, and though they drink, it is ever replenished. The Sun, with a single, powerful ray, drinks this Soma for fifteen days, and by means of his Suṣumnā ray, he fills the moon part by part. Thus, through the Sun’s energy, the moon’s form is restored. When the full moon arrives, the moon shines with a radiant, complete disc, white and resplendent, for during the bright fortnight it is gradually filled with Soma as each day passes. Then, as the dark fortnight begins, from the second day up to the fourteenth, the gods drink the sweet, gentle nectar that is Soma, watery and pleasing. In the span of half a month, the nectar gathered by the Sun’s radiance is consumed by the gods. At the full moon, the gods worship Soma, the nectar itself, in preparation for their drinking. For one night, at the very start of the dark fortnight, when the moon turns toward the Sun, all the gods, together with the ancestors and the sages, gather to drink Soma. As they drink, the digits of the moon—three hundred and thirty, and also thirty-three—are gradually diminished within him. The gods, numbering thirty-three thousand, drink Soma in this way, day by day, from the moon. After half a month of drinking, at the new moon, the gods depart, and the ancestors approach the moon. When only a small portion remains of the fifteenth part, in the afternoon, the hosts of ancestors worship and drink the lowest portion of the moon. For two portions of time, the ancestors drink, and the remaining portion, which flows out from the moon’s rays at the new moon, becomes the nectar of offerings. Satisfied for a month by drinking this finest nectar, the ancestors then depart, and the portion of the fifteenth day, drunk by them, is renewed. As long as that fifteenth part is diminished, at the new moon and in between, it is filled again. Thus, the waxing and waning of the moon at the beginning of each fortnight and on the sixteenth day are remembered; and by the Sun’s influence, the moon waxes and wanes in its ordained cycle. Now, hear of the chariots of the celestial bodies. The chariot of the son of Soma, the Moon, is yoked with eight horses, made of water and light, adorned with beautiful tawny colors. Shukra’s chariot, that of Venus, is drawn by ten slender horses of various colors, yoked with earthly steeds, belonging to the wise preceptor of the Daityas. Mars rides in a splendid golden chariot with eight horses, as does Jiva (Jupiter), and Saturn’s chariot is made of iron. Rahu’s chariot is drawn by ten horses made of water, white and other colors, and the chariots of Ketu and the Sun are each drawn by eight horses. All these planets are fixed to the pole star and move by the power of wind-rays; thus rotated, they proceed in their proper order. As many as there are stars, so many are the rays; all are fixed to the pole star, revolving around it and causing it to revolve as well. They move like the rim of a wheel of firebrands, driven by the wheel of the wind, and because he carries the lights, the wind is called Pravaha. The lunar mansions, the sun, the planets, and the stars all face toward and away, forming a great wheel established in the sky. Fixed by the pole star, they all move clockwise around it, eager to behold the Lord, the pole star, steadfast in the heavens. The sun’s orb is said to have a diameter of nine thousand yojanas, and its circumference is three times that. The moon’s extent is twice that of the sun, and Svarbhanu, who moves below, is equal to both in measure. Svarbhanu’s domain is the third, made of darkness, shaped like a circle, and formed from the shadow of the earth. A sixteenth part of the moon is assigned to Venus, according to the measure of their diameters, circles, and distances. Jupiter is less by a quarter than Venus; similarly, Mars and Saturn are also less by a quarter, and their measures are not equal. Mercury is less by a quarter in both diameter and circle compared to Mars and Saturn. All the shining forms—stars and constellations—are equal to Mercury in diameter and circle, and the wise know that the stars associated with the moon are generally of this kind. The forms of stars and constellations decrease mutually by five hundred, four hundred, three hundred, and two hundred yojanas. Above all are the lesser circles of stars, each measuring two yojanas; nothing smaller is found than these. Above them are three planets—Saturn, Mars, and the retrograde planet—moving far and known as the slow-moving ones. Below them are four other great planets: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, and Venus, all moving swiftly. The number of stars is as many crores as there are constellations, their positions fixed on the path of the constellations, all according to the rule from the pole star. The Sun, drawn by seven horses, rises and sets in order. When the Moon is on the northern path at the junctions, it appears swiftly and without very distinct rays, owing to its height; then, being on the southern path, it follows a lower course. The Sun, encircled by the earth, is seen at both the full and new moons, and at the proper time it quickly sets as well. Therefore, when the Moon is on the northern path at new moon, it is seen, but on the southern path, by rule, it is not seen. By the conjunction of the movements of the luminaries, the Sun is covered by darkness, and at the equinoxes, sunrise and sunset occur at the same time. Thus is the sacred order of the heavens, the journey of the planets, and the divine cycle of Soma, as revealed in the scripture.